Monthly Archive: September 2015

It’s been over a week since the report of the OHCHR investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL) was released to the public, but, to the best of my knowledge, not even a single evaluation of the report, in terms of whether the evidence in the report establishes to any reasonable degree of certainty that the Government in fact committed the various violations alleged, has appeared in any Sri Lankan newspaper, journal or magazine.

This is both unfortunate and surprising. The Human Rights Council is set to consider a resolution against Sri Lanka on the 30th of September, based on the conclusions and recommendations of the OISL report, or using it as a backdrop. Obviously, a rudimentary assessment of the substance of the report is needed before one can decide if further action on the report is justified.

A US-sponsored draft resolution against Sri Lanka is back on the Human Rights Council agenda, this time with a vengeance and despite the Ranil-Sirisena government’s conciliatory and obsequious pro-Washington, pro-Western stance!

There is no more Mahinda Rajapaksa to blame, no more pro-Beijing foreign policy, no more Non-Alignment, no more ‘megaphone diplomacy’ or ‘megaphone diplomats’, no more corruption. History dawned in Sri Lanka only on 8 January, before that, there was only darkness, violence and obscurantism. Today, enlightened leaders have flooded the land with newness, goodness, transparency, and unity, along with privileged relations with a much-maligned West.

So, what went wrong? A generous response would be our new, enlightened leaders read all the signs wrong. An accurate response would be they have something to gain from subservience to Washington’s interests.

Sri Lanka does not need it but RAW-driven Delhi with its bold statements is using the present political hiatus in Sri Lanka to drive and acquire as much mileage as possible; in the process Delhi is compelling Sri Lanka to accept all that Delhi desires to control this island forever as a vassal state. A process that Delhi has developed single-minded for over 60 years for the region, while driving a totally closed economy, and is now willing to unleashits hegemony and desires on its neighbours. Gradually the grand plan for Sri Lanka unfolds. The proposed Bridge and CEPA are interconnected and has to be seen together.

The citizens of this island have been shocked into silence, gobsmacked by an over dose of political correctness and an acute case of naivety displayed by even some we had respect for in the past. While India systematically prepared for over 60 years and waited for this some in Sri Lanka have only just realised its destructive powers.

In fact, as already reported, Delhi has no business to request the Asian Development Bank to carry out a pre-feasibility study for financing a road-rail link between Rameswaran and Thalaimannar across the Palk Strait, crossing sovereign Sri Lankan territory. We will be experiencing more of this blatant bullying in the future.